Coleoptera started to diverge about 265 million years ago, in the permian period. At the same time, cockroaches, dragonflies, sharks, and lizards started developing, but none of them worked as well as beetles. Currently, at least one fourth (300,000+) of all known animalspecies are of the order coleoptera, making them the most prolific animal order on earth. It is possible that there are over 12 million species of beetle.

An order of insects having the anterior pair of wings (elytra) hard and horny, and serving as coverings for the posterior pair, which are membranous, and folded transversely under the others when not in use. The mouth parts form two pairs of jaws (mandibles and maxillae) adapted for chewing. Most of the Coleoptera are known as beetles and weevils.